The End of the Year Read-a-thon: The Home Straight

December 18, 2013

Ok, so I know that you’re probably all getting sick of these updates now but it’s been the first time in a LONG time that I’ve written something every day and I’m kind of enjoying doing that, even though it makes me a pain in the arse. Because I’m going to be busier after today with the upcoming festivities and such like, though, this post is going to take me from Day 10 (today…) right through to the grand finale, Day 14 (Sunday).

Can I also just take a moment before we get to stats and pictures and miscellaneous waffle just how jolly excited I am about Christmas? I absolutely love everything about it and I’m so, so looking forward to having a couple of weeks off work for family, food, finally getting to give people the presents I’ve bought for them and wine. I’ve been keeping up with some participants on this read-a-thon but feel free to comment and tell me if I’ve missed you!

Day 10: WEDNESDAY 18th DECEMBER

Pages read today: (as at 8.04pm) 76 pages

Books read from today: The Gathering Dark by Leigh Bardugo

Total pages read so far: 788 pages

Books read so far: Cracked by Eliza Crewe; A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

8.04pm: Bleugh – what a miserable evening! Boyfriend is away for work this evening so I’m at home listening to the driving wind and rain alone while ogling Michel Roux Jr telling me how to roast a goose. I’m actually not a massive fan of goose or duck because I find them too fatty and rich but I will watch Michel Roux Jr on anything, whether or not I ever intend to cook anything that he’s making.

When I’m done ogling, I think I’m going to hide from the weather under my duvet and get back into The Gathering Dark. I won’t rant again about how much it bugs me that the UK version I have has that silly name but everybody else knows it as Shadow and Bone. And the cover of the UK version is unnecessarily boring compared to the US one. I just don’t understand why publishers (?) would think that a girl in a coat would be more appealing to us Brits than a funky cover. Are we known for enjoying a swirly robe or something? I don’t know. Anyway, I am enjoying The Gathering Dark but maybe not as much as I thought I would given all of the hype. It’s good and the Darkling sounds pretty hot but it just feels a bit like other things that I’ve read…it actually reminds me quite a lot of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan because the Grisha all wear different colours depending upon their particular power just like the Aes Sedai do in Jordan’s series. It’s very readable though so it’s still good, just not a game-changer.